Noli urges illegal OFWs in Kuwait to come home
Pia Lee Brago
Philippine Star
Vice President and Presidential Adviser on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) Noli de Castro yesterday urged relatives of undocumented Filipino workers in Kuwait to convince them to avail themselves of the 45-day amnesty offered to all illegal workers.
De Castro asked the help of the OFWs’ relatives, saying they can can explain the offer to the undocumented workers since many are not aware or afraid of availing themselves of the amnesty.
He said the amnesty decreed by Kuwaiti Emir Sheik Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is a big opportunity that undocumented OFWs and the government should grab.
“Filipinos working illegally in Kuwait should immediately avail of this rare chance to go home. On our part in the government, we should exhaust all means to shoulder the cost of transportation for those who decide to avail of the amnesty,” De Castro said.
The Vice President said since the amnesty took effect last Sept. 1, only 115 out of the 20,000 undocumented OFWs in Kuwait have availed of the offer. The amnesty will last until Oct. 15.
In a report to De Castro, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the first 25 beneficiaries of the amnesty were scheduled to arrive in Manila yesterday.
Male invasion
Meanwhile, more males are now opting to work abroad, according to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
“We used to see a 60-40 ratio of female overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) before, but we are seeing more and more males now,” said POEA deputy administrator Carmelita Dimzon.
Dimzon attributed the dominance of male OFWs to the growing demand for male workers in Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries building mega cities.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), earlier, reported that Saudi Arabia is expected to hire at least 300,000 construction workers and other highly skilled workers this year alone.
“It is unlikely that Saudi and the Middle East will hire female welders and pipe fitters. Maybe in Australia and Canada, but not in the Middle East,” she pointed out.
Dimzon added that the government’s stricter policy on household service workers, which was imposed by the POEA in 2006, also triggered the defeminization trend in labor migration.
Still in demand
And despite plans to regulate hiring of Filipino domestic helpers, the POEA has maintained that the government does not intend to close the market.
Newly appointed POEA chief Jennifer Manalili said she will work for the reduction in deployment of household workers and push for high-end jobs for skilled workers.
“We are veering away from that direction of deploying unskilled workers as well as sending of workers in identified high risk or problematic areas,” she said.
She said POEA would focus its efforts in deploying more highly skilled workers to Canada, Australia and other European countries.
– With Mayen Jaymalin
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